By Alecia Burningham
Leave it to a seminary teacher to put religious values and ideas to rock music.
Greg Simpson, a seminary teacher from Roy, Weber County, is also a pop/rock musician. He will be performing and signing CDs at the BYU Bookstore on Friday, Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“All of my views come from an LDS point of view because that is how I see life,” he said.
Simpson plays the electric guitar and his music is more contemporary rock with a little bit of an edge, he said.
“My voice is a little more raspy, and my sound is kind of like Matchbox Twenty, unplugged,” Simpson said.
Collin Shepherd, 24, a senior from O”Fallon Ill., majoring in exercise physiology, said he likes Simpson”s voice.
“In the LDS pop world, he is in his own genre,” Shepherd said. “It is rock music, but he sings about uplifting themes.”
Featured on the “God”s Army” soundtrack, Simpson said it was fun to see his music being put to an expression he had seen in his head.
“I liked seeing someone else”s visual interpretation of my music,” he said.
Doug Stewart, 24, a senior from O”Fallon, Ill., majoring in industrial design, met Simpson while shooting “God”s Army.” Stewart, who played “Benny” in the movie, said he enjoyed the concert Simpson gave for the cast members.
“He”s really amazing live, and he”s obviously not just a studio performer,” he said.
Simpson”s unique, chesty voice is what makes his music so appealing, Stewart said.
“I could listen to his CD all of the time,” he said.
Simpson has always been involved in music, starting guitar when he was 5 and also playing trumpet and piano through junior and high school.
“I”ve always wanted to write music and play guitar,” he said. “I”ve been lucky to follow through with that later in my life.”
Simpson has become a regular at Especially for Youth concerts, and he has also played for SHeDAISY. He probably plays more shows outside of Utah than in Utah, he said.
“I don”t aspire to make it big,” he said. “I just like to play for the people of the church who think the same way I think, or people who believe in the same values I do.”
“I”m just a regular guy who likes to play and I”m excited to come to BYU,” he said.
